Student Ads Take Aim at Racist Halloween Costumes 'This is not who I am, and this is not okay'By David Griner

October 26, 2011, 12:55 PM EDT

Inappropriate Halloween costumes are par for the course these days. But one student group has created posters protesting costumes that play off racial and ethnic stereotypes, such as Mexican banditos and terrorist Arabs. "We're a culture, not a costume," says the headline on each poster. "This is not who I am, and this is not okay." The campaign was created by Ohio University's Students Teaching About Racism in Society (STARS), which hoped to spark a dialogue about race and insensitivity. It seems to have worked, with various media outlets reporting on the posters, and many an anonymous commenter trolling out to bash the work as whining from liberals who can't take a joke. The 10 students involved say they've been overwhelmed by the response and plan to roll out a licensing system for other schools to use the posters in exchange for a donation. Five full-size posters after the jump.

AdFreak is your daily blog of the best and worst of creativity in advertising, media, marketing and design. Follow us as we celebrate (and skewer) the latest, greatest, quirkiest and freakiest commercials, promos, trailers, posters, billboards, logos and package designs around. Edited by Adweek's Tim Nudd and David Griner.

Inappropriate Halloween costumes are par for the course these days. But one student group has created posters protesting costumes that play off racial and ethnic stereotypes, such as Mexican banditos and terrorist Arabs. "We're a culture, not a costume," says the headline on each poster. "This is not who I am, and this is not okay." The campaign was created by Ohio University's Students Teaching About Racism in Society (STARS), which hoped to spark a dialogue about race and insensitivity. It seems to have worked, with various media outlets reporting on the posters, and many an anonymous commenter trolling out to bash the work as whining from liberals who can't take a joke. The 10 students involved say they've been overwhelmed by the response and plan to roll out a licensing system for other schools to use the posters in exchange for a donation. Five full-size posters after the jump.